Marine turbine.



PATENTED FEB. 6, 1906.

J. WILKINSON. MARINE TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15, 1904.

2 SHEETs-SHEET l.

' INVENTOR Lhmaslifi/fi/kmo/i ATTORNEY.

WITNESSES= .PATENTED FEBI 6, 1906'.

. M m m m 7/ \m o m. R m 2 v & a a E: Iwvw J WILKINSON MARINE TURBINE.w APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 15, 1904.

WITNESSES= rr sans JAMES 'WlLhlNSON, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, ASBlGNOR TO VVlLKINSON TURBINE UUMPAN Y, A CORPORATION OF ALABAMA.

alanine TURBINE.

I Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed September 15, 3.904.; Serial No. 224,586.

Patented Feb. 6, 1906.

To all whom it 111 114] concern;

Be it known that 1, JAMES WiLKINsoma citizen of the United States, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invem ed new and useful Improvements in Marine Turbines, of which the following is a specifica vion.

My invention relates to elastic-fluid turbines and controller mechanism therefor.

I have'shown and described in patents issued to me fluid-pressure-controller means for two-speed or reversing turbmes wherein a controller valve moves over a multiported "inosph'ere or low pressure is admitted, so that the valve is thus unbalanced to an extent that will cause it to be held very firmly to its seat. According to this construction I utilize high pressure to open the turbinevalves, which are closed by springs or other constant pressure'acting against them or their motors when either is exposed to low nressure by the controller-valve.

It is a further object to improve the means for conducting the controller-fluid to the several valves or their motors, whether they be located within the same or difierentshells or turbines. i

It is affurther object to provide means to prevent the conduction of heat to the shaft hearing or bearings.

My invention, which I have illustrated as embodied in a compound marine turbine,

' comprisesthe details of construction and arrangeinent of parts hereinafter more fully described, and disclosed in-the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a compound turbine comprising a two speed forward-' driving andla single-speed reversing turbine adapted to drive a common shaft and shown partly in section to illustrate the arrange-- ment of the working passages therein. Fig.

2' is a longitudinal vertical section through the controller-casing, showing the rotary,

shell partly in section. Fig. 3 is a transverse section through. Fig. 2. Fig. 4 illustrates a section of a dis hragm with the valves and motors therein 'orming part of the full-speed working passages of the forward-driving turbine. Fig. 5,is a similar view of the halfspeed Working passages for the same turbme. Fig. 6 1s a similar view of a nozzlepassage and valve in the reversingturbine.- Fig-7 1s a section through :c 113, Fig. 2, looking to the left. Fig. 8 corresponds to Fig.3 and shows the valve-shell in position for controlling the reversing-turbine while cutting the other turbine out of service. Fig. 9 is an end view of one of the collars which forms a part of a ventilating-coupling for the shaft.

Similar reference-numerals refer to the sameparts throughout.

The two-speed forward-driving turbine 1 and the reversing-turbine 2, which in their general construction and operation have been fully described inlietters Patent heretofore issued to me, are mounted upon a bed-plate 3 andprovided with shells 4, which surround the inner casings formed by su iply and exhaust heads and the interposed diaphragmpartitions, which subdivide the interior of the turbines into stages. The shell sur-' rounding the turbine 1 is recessed to form anannular chamber 5, supplied with motor fluid through a port 6, which communicates with any suitab e source of fluid-pressure The supply-head 7 and the exhaust-head 8 are suitably held in place by the shell, the latter head connnunicating by a conduit 9' with a condenser 10, which communicates with the. exhaust-head of the reversing-turbine through a conduit 11. I provide two independent sets of workin passages in the turbine-1, disposed at diflerent distances from its shaft 12 and comprising supply-nozzle passages leading through the head 7 and stage-nozzle passages leadin through the succeedingdiaphragms. provided with two peripheral sets of buckets cooperating with the inner and outer sets of nozzles, act to drive the shaft at full or cruis- Buc et-wheels 13,

ing speed in the manner more full-v and at 1 length. described in my Letters Patent Nos. 752,496 and 766,922. Motor-fluid pressure I G is admitted to the supply-nozzles through radially-disposed passages leading from the chamber 5 through the head 7 and shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1. I have provided independent valves to control the admission of motor fluid to the full and cruising speed working passages and also to control its flow through the several nozzle-passages in the diaphragins. The supply-valves are similar in construction and arrangement to the stage-valves, which-are shown enlarged in Figs. 4 and 5, the valves 14 controlling the full-speed nozzle-passages and the valves 15 the cruising-speed nozzle-passages. Fluidmotors for operating these valves comprise cylinders 16, pistons 17, and stems 18, which actuate cranks 19, suitably connected to the valves. Plugs close the ends of the cylinders, which communicate by conduits with a fluid-pressure-controller mechanism, hereinafter described. Springs 21 engage the pistons 17, tending to move them to close the valves under their control when the cylinders are exposed to a low pressure.

The reversing-turbine 2 is provided with a single working passage, to which the motor fluid is admitted from a supply-channel in its shell 4 through ports 23, under the control of reciprocating valves 24, radially disposed in chambers in the supply-head 25. Suitable partitions, preferably in the form of packingrings, through which the valve-stems pass, divide these chambers into two parts, the outer constituting the admission end for the supply-nozzles and the inner parts constituting cylinders 26, within which move istons 27 connected to or carried by the va vestems. Passages 28 admit the high pressure from the supply-channel 22 to the inner end of each chamber 26, so that it normally tends to move the valves to close the ports 23 and cut off the supply to the turbine. Coiled springs 29, acting against this pressure, will open each valve 28 when its piston is balanced between equal pressures by the admissipn'of high pressure through conduits 30, communicating with the controller mechanism and entering said cylinders at an inter mediate point. The motor fluid when admitted to the supply-nozzles by valves 24 flows therethrough and through the succeeding stagenozzles against interposed rows of buckets, two of which are mounted upon each wheel 31, disposed in several stages and mounted upon a shaft 32. Any desired nu mber of admission-nozzle passages may be used and the bucket-wheels may be ro-- vided with one or more rows of hue ets cooperating with said nozzle-passages. When double rows of buckets are used, which is my preferred construction, suitable intermediates 33 will be interposed between each double row, the same arrangement ap lying to the outer set of working passages o the turbine 1, where the slow speed developed by the motor fluid therein necessitates the interposition of intermediates between the rows of rotating buckets. The construction and arrangement of the working passages of the several turbines form the subject-matter of former patents and pending applications and not constituting an essential part of my resent invention will not be further described in detail herein.

My controller mechanism comprises a casing 34, mounted on the shell 4 of turbine 1 and having a passage 35 therein communicating with the chamber 5 through an opening 36 and admitting the high pressure above a rotary valveshell 37, seated in a circular seat, through which lead three sets of ports 38, 39, and 40, preferably arranged in parallel rows. The ports 38 and 39 respectively communicate with sets of pipes 41 and 42, which enter chamber 5 through openings in the shell and are rovided with couplings 43 at their inner en s by means of which they may be connected to pipes 44 and 45. These latter pipes are disposed in the same or separate recesses formed by reducing or channeling the outer wall of the inner casing, as seen in Fig. 1, my purpose being to so place the pipes that they will not interfere with the removal of the shell 4 when they have been disconnected from pipes 41 and 42. The pipes 44 and 45 communicate, by means of suitable connections, with passages 46 and 47, respectively, leading through the supply-head and diaphragms and entering the cylinders 16 through plugs 20. The ports 40 communicate with a set of pipes 48, connected by couplings 49 with the conduits 30, which enter the cylinders 26 in the supplydiead of the reversing-turbine. The valve-shell 37,which is in the form of a cylinder, is reduced between its ends to form a chamber 50, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, which extends more than half-way around the shell, so that the high ressure admitted thereto by passage 35 will liold the shell. firmly against the multiported portion of its seat. The lower portion of the shell is provided with two sets of short narrow grooves 51 and 52, transversely disposed in its outer surface and arranged in pairs opposite each other and on each side of a row of ports 53, leading from a controller-chamber .54 within the shell and adapted to register with one or the other of the sets of ports 33, 39, and 40. The grooves are of such a length and are so disposed that the sets of ports, not in register with ports 53, open, as may be seen by reference to Figs. 1, 3, and S, into one or the other, orboth, of these sets of grooves, which by interconnecting passages 55, communicate with an elongated groove 56, Fig. 7, near the end of the shell which is open to the atmosphere or a low pressure through a port 57. In this manner the valve-shell will not only be unbalanced by the admission'of atmospheric pressure below it, but this pressure will be communicated to the motors of the valves for all but the set of active working passages which are in communication through ports 53 with the controller-cham ber 54:. Since the admission of a few pres sure to a valve-motor will cause it to close its valve, it follows that all but one set of work ing passages will be cut out of service in each of the valve-shells operating positions. The

volume of motor fluid is varied to the active in communication through a set of pipes with the motors controlling the valves for the ac tive working passages, more or less of these va ves will be opened according as the high or low pressure is admitted to their motors. The shell 37 is inserted into its seat through an epening at one end thereof, which is closed by a screw-plug 61, through which passesa hollow spindle 62, integral with the shell. The piston-valve 63 is inserted through an opening in one end of the shell and operated by a stem 64, provided with a rack 65, engaging a pinion 66, mounted on a stein 67. A crank 68 engages the spindle 62. By moving this crank tobring the shell-ports 53 into register with any set of ports, as 38, Fig. 3, the exhaust-pressure in the manner described is admitted to the motors of the valves in the reversing-turbine and'in the outer working passages of turbine 1 to cut them. out of service. By turning stem 67 the piston 63 will be moved to admit high pressure to the ports 53 in succession. This high pressure is com- :rminicated to the valve-motors of the inner full-speed working passagesof turbine 1. and opens supply-nozzles to admit motor fluid proportioned'to theload. This valve may be operated. in any manner desired. I This mechanism controls with equal facility the valves of both turbines and may be used to control a whole set of turbines by piping the controller-fluid pressure to them. Wl1en it is desired to disconnect pipes 41 and a2 from 4A and 45, the controller-casing is unbolted from the shell, and by using opening 36 as a hand'hole this may be readily effected.

I prefer to bore the chambers in head .25 of equal diameter and preferably form the seats for the valves by inserting in the 0 en ends of the chambers plugs ha ing Hui-admission openings 23, which are closed by the valves 24.

The construction and control of the turbines having been thus described, I will now refer to the manner in which they operate drlve the propeller 69, which is connected to shaft 12 of turbine 1. The several bucketwheels 13 of this turbine are suitably secured thereon between a shoulder 70 and a circular nut 71, screwed onto a reduced threaded portion 72 of the shaft. The high pressure in the first stage has access around this nut and act ing against a greater surface-area of the wheel and shaft toward the supplythan toward the exhaust-head thus serves in the manner described in the pending application to assist the thrust-bear1ng 7 3 to counteract the push thrust of the propeller. A-similar arrangement in turbine 2 assists in counteracting the pull thrust. Packing 7 1 for both shafts 12 and 32 is seated in a recess in heads 7 and 25. A bearing 75, disposed between the turbines, supports a short shaft 76, connected at opposite ends to shafts 12 and 32 by ventilated couplings 77. Each coupling comprises a collar 7 8, comprising a hub keyed to an end of shaft 76, and a similar collar 79, secured in like manner to the abutting end of shafts 12 and 32. The adjacent faces of these collars are provided with integral flanges connected by bolts and spread slightly apart by circulan abutting shoulders 81, surrounding the bolts. These collars serve to connect the several shafts together, so that they constitute practically a single shaft. The clearance between the flanged faces of the collars serves as a ventilatingpassage, which communicates near its center with a plurality of air-passages 82, leading through the hubs of the collars 78, so that the coupling acts with a centrifugal effect to maintain as it rotates a circulation of air through passages 82 and between-the flanges. This 1. revents the conduction of heat to the shaft 76 from shal ts 12 and 32 and maintains the bearing 7 5 always cool. The several shafts need not come into direct contact with each other but to relieve the couplings of thrust strain -I. reduce the ends of the shaft to form the projections 83, which abut without conducting any appreciable amount of heat to the bearing. Though l have described a preferred form for this coupling, I desire to rotect, broadly, the use of any similar or ana ogous means which may be substituted therefor to prevent the conduction of heat to a shaft-bearing for a motor.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a fluid-contruller means for a tur-' binc, lluhhcontrolled means to open and close nozzle-passages, pipes communicating with. said means and disposed withina reduced ortion of the turbine-casing, a fluid-controler chamber, and conduits leading tl'ierelrom which. are detachably connected to said pipes.

2. In a turbine having an inner casing an a removable outer casing, fluid-pressure controlled valves within the turbine, fluid-conducting pipes seated in the same or diiierent l valves, a valve-bearing portion, radial cham- 6 out-away portions of the inner casing and adapted to admit a high or low pressure to. said valves, a controller-valve controlling the admission or exhaust of pressure to other pipes which. are coupled to the first-mentioned pipes.

3. In a turbine having an inner casing-and a removable shell surrounding it, nozzle-passages, valves therefor, motors to actuate the va ves, conduits leading to said motors through the casing, pipes communicating with said conduits and dlsposed in a'reduced portion of said casing so as to be below or flush with its outer periphery, and a fluidcontroller means carried by said shell and adapted to control the admission of fluidpressure to said pipes.

' 4; The combination with a turbine having an inner casing and an outer sheli, a recess in said casing, one or more pipes disposed therein, a controller-chamber, pipes leading therefrom through said shell, means to couple said latter pipes to the ipes in the casing, and means, controlled y the pressure in said ipes which regulate the operation of the tur- 1ne.

5. In a turbine, a sup ly-head for'a wheelcompartment, a valve-c amber therein leading inwardlyfrom its outer periphery, a valveseatdisposcd in the outer end ofsaid cham-. 'ber and communicating with a motor-fluidsupply chamber, a valve in saidvalve-chamber, a nozzle passa e leading therefrom through said head, a uid-motor for operating said valve comprising a cylinder formed by the "inner end of said chamber, a piston therein for operating said valve, and means to communicate a controller-fluid pressure to said cylinder.

6. In a supply-head for a Wheel-compartment, a chamber therein leading from its eriphery inwardly, a partition therein, a va ve having a stem assing through said partition and connecte to a piston, a fluid-supply opening adapted to be closedby said valve, a nozzle passage supplied with motor fluid pressure when said opening is open, means tending to move said valve in one direction, 7

and controller means exposing said piston to a pressure which will cause it to move in the opposite direction. I

7-. In a turbine, a supply-valve, a chamber for said valve leading radially into the valvebearmg portion, a supply-passa e communicating with the outer end of saic chamber, a.

bers therein within which the valves are disposed and from which lead nozzle-passages,

pistons for actuating said valves, a motorfluidjsupply chamber, valve seats at the outer end of said chambers through which motor fluid enters from said supply-chamber, passages to expose said pistons to a high pressure. tending to close said valves and a controller-fluid pressure tending to 0 en them, and springs cooperating'with. said atter pressure to open the valves.

9. In a controller means for aturbine, a

chamber to which high pressure is admitted,

a multiported valve-seat, a valve thereon .held to its seat by said chamber-pressure,

means to unbalance said valve by admitting low or atmospheric pressure between it and its seat, and conduits leading from the ports in said seat tovalve means which control the discharge ofmotor fluid against rotating buckets in theturbine.

10'. In a controller means for a turbine, a"

chamber to which hi hand low pressures are to their respective groups of, passages, and

meansto admit high pressureto-one group of passages to open one or more of the nozzles passages of a set. e

1 1. In a turbine havingaplurality of fluidpressure-controlled valves, a controller mechanism comprisin the valve-controfiing fluid which lead from a controller-chamber, a valve therein adapted to open a part of said conduits to the admission of a low pressure, and a controller device adapted to, control the admission of high pressure to the other of said conduits.

12. In a turbine havinga plurality of fluid.- actuated valves, a controller mechanism therefor comprising a lurality of conduits a plurality of conduits for fo'r valve-actuating fiui opening into a controller-chamber, a multiported valve therein to control the admission of low pressure to said conduits in grou s, and a slide-valve ac'ting between high an low pressures and operating successively to admit 'one or the other of said pressures to the conduits of a group.

13. .A controller mechanism for a multiplevalve turbine comprising a controller-ehamber formed in a movable casing and exposed to high pressure, a luralit of passages which communicate with sai chamber and conduct fluid-pressure therefrom to control the operation of a set of turbinewalves, a sec- I end set of independent turbine-valves, one'or more chambers in said casing in connnunication with a low or atmospheric pressure, and a plurality of passages which communicate said latter pressure to the latter set of turbine-valves. y

14. In a contrbl'ler mechanism for a tur bine, a nrultiported casing, a multiported valve-shell with ports which are adapted. to register with different groups of ports in said casing, one 01' more recesses in said shell which are exposed to a low or atmospheric pressure and which are adap ed to communicats with the group or groups of ports in said casing which are not in re ister with the ports in said shell, a plurality of turbine-valves and means to control their operation comprising motors, passages connecting said motors with theports in said casing, and means to cause said valves to close when their motors are exposed to a low pressure through said passages.

15. In a controller mechanism for a turbine, a chamber supplied withhigh pressure, a multiported valve-seat therein, a valveshell mounted and movable on said seat and provid ed with. a set of ports, means to admit high and low pressure to said shell, means to ad just said shell to move its ports into register with a set of ports in said seat, means to'ad niit the high or low pressure in said shell to one or more of the ports therein, said shell acting as a valve to admit lpW-prcssure to the ports in said seatnot in'registcr with its ports, and means to connect the ports in said seat with fiuid-pressurecontrolled means to vary the fluid-pressure supply to the turbine.

16. In a turbine, groups of working passages at different distances from the shaftcenter, means to out said working passages out .of service comprising valves, actuatingpist'ons therefor, cylinders for said pistons, spring means tending to move said valves to their closedposition in nozzle-passages which they control, and means to admit a controller-fluid pressure'to said chambers comprising a plurality of conduits and a con troller-valve adapted to admit a low or atinospheric pressure to the motor-cylinders of the valves for one set of workingpassagesin combination with means to admit high or low pressure to the inotoncylinders of the other working passages.

17. In a controller mechanism for a turbine, a controller-pressure chamber, a multiported valve-seat therein, and a valve-shell adapted to control the admission of high or low pressure to the ports in said seat in groups, said shell comprising a plurality of ports to which a high or low pressure is admitted by a ci'mtroller-valve, and a plurality of chanilicrs exposed to a low or atmospl'leric pressure and adapted to communicate with the ports in the seatnot in register with the ports in said shell, in combination with fluidpressureactuated means within. the turbine to vary the flow of motor fluid.

18. In a set ofturbines driving a common sl iaft, a bearing for said shaft between said turb nes, and means, inti-irposed between said bearing and the turbines, to prevent, by a forced. circulation of air, the conduction of excessive heat to said bearing.

19. In a compound turbine, a plurality of separate shells, a shaft, one or more bucketbearing elements in each shell which are con nccted to said shaft, a bearing for said shaft,

between two of said shells, and ventilatedcouplings in said shaft to prevent theconduction of heat from the shells to said bear ing. e

" 0. In combination with a turbine, a shaft therefor, a bearing for said shaft, a coupling interposed between the turbine and bearing,

and means to prevent the heat of the shaft portion in the turbine being transmitted. through said coupling to said bearing.

21. In combination with a turbine, a shaft formed in two parts, one entering the turbine and driven thereby which becomes highly heated by the temperatureof the motor fluid in the turbine, the other mounted in a bearthe circulation of air, which connects said parts of the shaft together.

22. In combination with a turbine, a sectionalshaft, bearingin which one section of said shalt is supported, said other section being disposed within the turbine, and means mg, and a coupling adapted to be cooled by.

to connect the slnrft-sections together and leave an air-space between their adjacent ends, as and for the purposes described.

23. In combination with a turbine, a sectional shaft therefor, one section being subjected to the heat within the turbine, a bearing in which the other section. is supported,

flanged portions carried by the adjacent ends of said sections, means to connect said portions to couple the shaft-sections together, shoulders on the abutting faces of said ii anged portions which set them apart to form an airspace between them.

24. In combination with a turbine, a section'al shaft therefor, a coupling connecting the sections of said shaft and disposed between the turbine and a bearing for the sh aft, said coupling comprising collars rigidly connected to an end of each, shaft and to each other, and air-passag tas formed in and between said. collars and so arranged that the coupling acts, when-rotated, with centrifugal effect to maintain a cooling circulation of air which prevents the conduction. of heat through the coupling to said bearing.

.25. A turbine, a sectional shaft therefor, a

end of a shaft-section, bolt-holes leading vent the conduction of heat through said shaft from the motor to said bearin by inducing currents of air between arts 01 said shaft.

In testimony whereo I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witmesses.

JAMES WILKINSON.

Witnesses:

JNo. H.'WALLA0E,' NOMIE WE sH. 

